Fixed Term MTD Coaches,

Let us first express gratitude on behalf of the Reliant Central team. Thank you for your willingness to serve the Lord and Reliant through MTD coaching. Please know how grateful we are that you would be willing to include coaching in your life and ministry.

2019 is primed to be a very exciting year of growth and opportunity for Reliant. We continue to grow as an organization, but this year has also seen the addition of some key church/ministry partnerships. With these new partners, in addition to Reliant’s normal growth, there has been (and will continue to be) an influx of new Reliant workers. These new field staff include church planters, international workers, residents, interns, and campus ministers. One of the things that make Reliant unique is our ability to come alongside and serve these new field staff and ministry partners as they enter the difficult terrain of MTD. Without question, the number one way we do this is through regular coaching.

As Reliant grows, so does the need for MTD coaching. Each new Reliant worker is an individual in need of a coach. So, Reliant needs more coaches!

The need for new coaches most certainly applies to our young and growing partnerships with church residency and internship programs.  In 2019, we expect to train over 150 men and women from these church partnerships. The churches we’re serving often have well-established programs that Reliant will now be providing administrative and MTD service to.  

So your role as a coach is an essential and very important part of providing the service that these churches are seeking.

There is a wealth of information on MTD coaching on the rest of Solomon.  I encourage you to take time to look through that info. We have done our best to provide a roadmap for coaching in your fixed-term context.


Now, you may wonder why it is important to distinguish coaching a Fixed Term person from other kinds of coaching.  Here are some reasons:

  • The timeframe for their MTD is typically shorter than that for a long-term Reliant worker. Most residents and interns have a hard start date for their program, so you will be coaching with an end date in mind. This will make already important things like goal setting and time blocking all the more important.

  • The MTD culture at these churches is different than many of the churches that have historically partnered with Reliant. Although some of them have run a support-based residency program before, many of the support-raising philosophies that Reliant uses will be very new to the church. The pastoral staff and leadership are typically all salaried from the central church fund, and most of them have no experience with MTD. This is different from many of the church plants and campus churches that use Reliant. With there being little to no prior culture of MTD, many of the basics of ministry team development will be new for the residents that you coach. They have not been raised up in a culture of MTD.

  • All the residents and interns chose the church and not Reliant. Most will have never heard of Reliant, and they will likely see Reliant as a necessary means to the end goal of being in the church’s program. This means that for the residents you coach, a trust of Reliant and Reliant’s philosophies must not be assumed. It will be important to establish that trust and not be offended if there seems to be a bit of skepticism early on in the relationship.

  • So, with all of that in mind, it will be important to understand that many residents and interns will not be entering the MTD season ready to give full-time attention to MTD. Many will start MTD while still being in college and preparing to graduate. Most will be balancing some mix of school, job, and other ministry obligations. It will likely be a new idea for them to give 10-20 hours to MTD. You will need to get a clear understanding of their weekly commitments and how many hours they have available for MTD, and then you will likely need to push them and hold them accountable to devote as many hours as they can give. It will be important that they give a heavier number of hours earlier in the process than they may think necessary (potentially 20+ hours a week), so you might have to help them step down from some of the commitments they will have.


As you can see, this can be a challenging environment to coach in.  But be confident that they will be well-trained and that you will be well-resourced as you walk alongside them in this process.  

What an honor it is for us to serve the kingdom of God in this way. These residents will be starting a journey, and for many of them, it will be the start of a lifetime of ministry. In MTD coaching, we have the opportunity and the privilege to be the ones that help them begin this journey. We are helping them lay a foundation! This is such an important season; the first steps are often some of the most important steps as one walks into ministry. There will be a lot of ups and downs, and there is no telling what each resident will experience in their seasons of MTD, but as their coaches, we will be there. In the good and the bad, we are there. We will be a constant and steady voice in a chaotic season. What an honor.

Once again, We cannot thank you enough for your willingness to serve God and Reliant in this way. We have a challenge ahead of us, and there is no way we could do this without you. Thank you. Please know that we are always available to help you in any way you need. May the Lord equip us for this season and provide us with all we need.

Gratefully,
Joshua Dull & Jenni Saniuk